Apparatus for producing staple fibers from continuous strands of textile fibers



Oct. 8, 1957 w SHANN ET AL 2,808,884

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING STAPLE FIBERS FROM CONTINUOUS STRANDS OF TEXTILE FIBERS Filed April 5, 1954 United States APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING STAPLE FIBERS CONTINUOUS STRANDS OF TEXTEE Application April 5, 1954, Serial No. 420,815

Claims. (Cl. 164-68) The present invention relates to an apparatus for forming staple textile fibers from a continuous strand of textile fibers such as natural or synthetic combed top, sliver, or continuous filament.

An object of the invention is to provide apparatus of this character for forming from such a continuous strand, staple fibers which in the case of a strand of continuous filament are all of the same desired staple length, or, in the case of a strand of natural or cut stable fiber, are all of less than a predetermined maximum length.

A further object is to provide such an apparatus capable of simple adjustment to change the length of the staple produced.

A further object is to provide such an apparatus which will form from either described'type of strand a mixture of staple fibers of different lengths within a predetermined range. A further object is to provide an apparatus for cutting a continuous strand of continuous filament into cut staple fibers which is capable selectively, by simple adjustment of the apparatus, of producing cut staple fibers which are either all of the same length or are of dilferent lengths within a predetermined range, and which similarly will produce cut staples of controlled lengths from strands of staple fibers.

A further object is to provide such an apparatus wherein the fibers are selectively cut to different staple lengths as stated by simple and effective cutting means comprising a rotatable helical bladed cutter without changing the cutter itself.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. l is a plan view of an illustrative machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2- Fig. 3 is a partial end elevation;

Fig. 4 is a section, with parts in elevation, on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the feed mechanism taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, in general organization the illustrative apparatus shown comprises a cutting roll 2 cooperating with an anvil roll 4 to sever the traveling strand 6 into separate groups of fibers as it passes through the nip between these rolls. A guide roll 8 cooperates with the anvil roll 4 to guide and control the strand as it passes over the anvil roll in its approach to the cutting nip. The continuous strand 6 is fed into the apparatus just described by a feed apron 10.

Power to drive the machine is supplied to the chain '12, for example from an electric motor, not shown. The "chain 12, through the variable speed gear box 13, drives the rolls 2, 4 and 8 which are interconnected to rotate at the same surface speed. From these rolls the apron 10 is driven by means of an adjustable variable speed drive arrangement, to be described, in such a way that the strand is fed at all times at a speed not greater than the surface speed of the cutter roll 2. Depending upon the adjustment of the apparatus, the apron is driven either at a selected constant speed or at a speed which continuously varies within a predetermined selected range.

2 of Fig. 1;

stem ICC The cutter roll 2 comprises a metal core 14 carrying on its outer surface a plurality of helical lands 16. The peripheral ends of the lands are ground to a cylindrical surface concentric with the axis of the roll 2, which surface terminates in a sharp corner where it joins the side surfaces of the land. This blunt surface is narrow, of the order of to wide. The maximum length of the fibers in the cut product is determined, other conditions remaining the same, by the spacing between the lands circumferentially of the roll. Each roll is designed to provide a certain specific range of fiber lengths. For instance, a mill operating on the worsted system may want fibers in any length from, say, 3" to 6", and for this use a cutter having a land spacing of 6" would be used.

The anvil roll 4 with which the lands of the cutter roll 2 cooperate to cut the fiber is a smooth hard-surfaced cylindrical roll, desirably made of steel and ground and polished. The anvil roll 4 is driven to rotate at the same surface speed as the surface speed of the tips of the lands 16 by a spur gear 18 mounted on the outboard end of the shaft 20 of the cutter roll 2 which extends through suitable hearings in the main frame 22 of the machine. The spur gear 18 drives the spur gear 24 similarly mounted near the outer end of the shaft 26 of the anvil roll 4, the relative size of these gears being selected to provide the stated speed ratio.

As the strand 6approaches the nip between the rolls 2 and 4 it passes over and around the upper part of the surface of theanvil roll 4. At this point the exposed upper surface of the strand 6 is engaged by the guide roll h which is carried on a shaft 28 supported in the frame 22. The guide roll a is smooth surfaced, desirably of steel, ground and polished, and is driven at the same surface speed as the anvil roll 4 by means of the spur gear 30 on the end of its shaft 2S which meshes with the spur gear 24 on the shaft of the anvil roll.

An important feature of the invention is the dispositicn of the guide roll 8 with respect to the anvil roll 4 so that the traveling strand 6 is engaged in the nip between these rolls with a pressure which is just sufficient to prevent sidewise movement of the strand which otherwise Would occur as a result of the tendency of the inclined helical lands to shift the fibers sidewise as they shear them. At the same time it is important that the nip between the guide roll 8 and the anvil roll 4 not be so tight as to prevent the strand 6 from sliding with respect to the moving surfaces of rolls and 3 when its speed of travel is retarded below the surface speed of these rolls, for the purpose of changing the length of the cut fiber products, as will be more fully hereinafter described.

T he apron 1% which feeds the strand up to the anvil roll 4 is trained about lower and upper rollers 32, 34 which are journaled for free rotation in frame 22. The upper roller 3 is disposed closely adjacent the anvil roll 4 to cause the apron to deliver the strand 6 directly on to this roll. The upper flight of the apron ill is supported in its travel between the rollers 32, 34 by a supporting plate 36 carried by the frame 22. At each side of the apron it vertical guides 38, 38 are carried on frame 22 and, in turn, support guide pieces ti 4% (Fig. 5) extending inwardly to overlie the outer edges of the upper fiight of the apron, whereby the fibers of the strand 6 are confined sidewise as the strand travels with the apron.

The strand 6 is constrained to move along with the apron by means of a freely rotatable deadweighted roll 42, Fig. 2, resting on the upper surface of the strand and carried at the trailing ends of pivoted arms 44, 44. The arms 44, 44 are fixed to a supporting shaft 46 of a length suflicient to extend between and beyond the guides 38, 38', on which it is removably supported by being dropped into slots 48 in the guides 38, 38'. Cooperating with the deadweighted roll 42 is a freely rotatable roller 50 disposed below and in contact with the upper flight of the apron -16 and beneath the roll- 4-2-, as appears in Fig. 2, whereby the strand 6 is pressed against the apron along a=lirie extending widthwise of the apron.

The apron 16 is driven from th'eshaft 26 of the anvil -r'oll 4 by means now to be described. Fast-on the end "of shaft 26, outwardly of the spur gear .24, is a spro'cket '60, By means of the sprocket chain'62, the sprocket 6t) drives the sprocket 64 fast on ashaft 66 carried on the auxiliary frame members 68 which are supported from the main frame 22. The shaft 66 carries -'a cone pulley 70 which forms the driving member of a variable speed mechanism of which the cone pulley 12 is the driven member. A'belt'74extending etw'een the'cone ,"pulleys causes the driven pulley 72 to be "driven by the driving pulley 70 at a speed which is greater or smaller depending upon the. pbsiti'on'of the belt 'endwise "of the pulleys, in a manner well-known in the power transmission art.

To shift the belt 74'endwis'e 'of theconexpulleys to vary the speed ratio of the drive there is provided a shifter fork '76 engaging the belt and mounted on a shifter fork arm 78 which is supported for endwise movement, parallel to the axis of the cone pulley shafts, in a f'guide 80 carried on the auxiliary frame member 68.

The driven cone pulley 72 is-faston -'a shaft 82 which "drives a sprocket 84 which, in turn, through sprocket -chain 86,'drives the apron lfi through a sprocket 88 fast on the shaft of upper apronroller 54.

The relative sizes of the sp'rocketsfll and 64, the eone :pulleys 70, 72, and the sprockets 84-and 88 are so-selected that the apron always is-moved at a =surface speed not sgreater "than the surface speed of the anvil roll 4, no 'matter what may be the adjusted l-positionof the belt'74 o'n'the "cone pulleys.

The shifter form arm 73 maybe moved into a position to provide the desired'speed ratio between th'eapronand "the anvil roll by hand and held in 'the sele'cted position by insertion of ai'pin'9fi through an opening-inthe guide --80 and through a selected one-ofa series of openings 92 inthe'shifterforl; arm 78, thereby locking'theshifter fork 'in-its desired adjusted position.

When the strand 6 is fe'd at a speedavhich is thesarne as the surface speed of the anvil r'oll-4 and eutter roll-2 the lands 16 in succession-engage 'the strah'dto eut from it a portion whose length equals 'the'circu'rriferential dis- 'tanc'e'around the'roll between successive lands. Now, if the speed of travel of -the str'and 6 is reduced below 'tlie surface speed of the cutter'r'oll, the distance th'e strand 'trav'els between successive engagements of a --land"with the anvil roll is'less than thecircumferential distance be- "tween lands and, consequently, the -leng'th='whi :his cut from the traveling strand by the following land is less than the circumferential difference between lands. Thus, {the length of the cut fibers is determinedby' thespeed of the a'pron so that the sa'i'n'e cutti ng roll 'c'an lie-employed tocut any desired length of fiber'ls's than a lengtheqtial to the circumferential distance between the lands of I that r'oll. When the shifter fork'a'rr'n 78 has been lockedin the selecte'd adjusted position the length "of successive cuts from the strand remains constant. lf'the strand is-co'r'nposed of continuous filament, aunt the fibersin the-cut staple product will be the same length. -When the strand is composed of staple fibers, thelongest-fibersinthe-cut staple product will have this s'ame length,'-b'ut the product will of course contain other fibers whi'ch are shorter.

Provision is also made for cutting thestr-and'into '-a variety of lengths so as to provide a mixture of cut fibers 'of diherent lengths even when the supplied strand is composed of continuous filament. Fo'r thispurpose the following means is provided for continuously varying the "speed of the apron 19 with respect-to the speed'of the cutter roll assembly. A link'100 pivoted on the outerend of' 'shifterfork' arm 78'is"connected"by means of a removable and replaceable pin 102 to a lever 104 pivoted at one end to a fixed pivot 106 and slotted at 108 near'its other end. The lever 104 is adapted to be oscillated in timed relation with the rotation of the shaft 66 (and the cutter roll 2) by means, for example, of a Scotch yoke arrangement comprising a crank:pin -110 extending'outweirdly from the flat'fa'ce of a crank disc 112 and :-entering the slot 108 in lever 104. The disc 112 is driven through bevel gearing 114, 115 from the shaft 66. By this arrangement the shifter fork '76 is oscillated 'to move the belt 74 back and forth across the workingfaces of the cone pulleys "70, 72, continually changing the speed of the apron 1 0 with respect to the speed ofxth'e cutting mechanism and thus continuously varying the length of cut. In this Way a mass of cut fibers of an array of different lengths corresponding to a .fiber diagram may be ;produced, simulating if'desired \thefiber array which exists in natural fleeces obtained from sheep.

The variable-speed gear box 13 serves to permit adjustment of the'speed of the entire machine as may be desired -for different conditions, different types of 'fihers or different lengths of out. .For example when the relative-speed ofthe-apron IOis reduced toreducethe length of out it may be desirable to .adjust the speed of the machine upwardly, by means of gear box 13, to rmaintain the production of themachinethe same.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for cutting a strand of textile fiberstinto staple fibers of a selected maximum length, comprising a rotatable smooth, hard surfaced anvil roll, a rotatable cutter rollcomprising a plurality .of spaced :helical lands having blunt ends with sharp edges adapted to form a nip with said tan-vii roll to sever fibers engaged therebetween, means for-rotatingsaid-cutter roll and said anvil roll at the same surface speed, means for continuously feeding the strand toward (the [nip oft saidcutter and :anvil rolls at a speeditimed with andiless thanatheisur'face speed of said cutter roll, ta-smoothrhard-surfaced ;guide .1011 disposed -closely adjacent to-and spaced from said -.c.utter and anvil rolls, the spacing between said guidez-andaanvil rolls 'beingdess than'the thicknessof:the.strand,:said;guide roll engaging omen-surfaceof-the strandeastme anvil roll engages the opposite surface of the .strand to create :a slight-nip :pressure on-the-strandas it passeszbetweemsaid anvil and guide rolls, the nip pressure createdcomthe strand by said anvil andguide-rolls being-sufliciently slight to permit .lengthwiseslippage .of the strand-betweenrsaid guide and anvil rolls as its rate of fee'distretarded-below thesurface speed of said-anvil andrguideirolls,tthe :nip being great enough to exert tsufiicient -pressure on :the strand to prevent sidewise movernent-of the strand :endwise of said guide and anvil rolls undertthe influence vof the helical lands of the rotating -..cutter.'ro1l, means for driving said guide roll at the same .surface speedsastsaid cutter and anvil rolls, and imeans :for adjusting tandtcontrolling: the =rate of feedof thEnStI'fi-Dd with l respect totthe surface speed of: said .cutterirolbwithin arangemfspeeds below thesurfa'cespeedof saidcutter roll to-deterrnine the maximrnn lengt h-of the cut staple fibers.

2. Apparatus 'forcutting-a :strandzof textileifibersinto =staple fibersof a selected maxirnum-'length,-;eornprising a rotatable smooth, hard surfaced -anvil .roll, -.a .rotatable cutter roll comprising a'jplurality:ofispacedhelicallands having blunt sends with sharp edgestadapted torform a nip with said anvil roll to sever fibers engaged therebetween; means for rotating said-cutter rolland said-anvil roll -at-the same surface "speed; means ."for varying the speed of: said cutter: and anvil 1 rolls, means fortcontinuously feedingthe-stra-nd toward the nip: ofsaidcutters and anvil rolls ata speed timed-with and lessthanthe surface speedeot-said cntten roll; aipainofsspa'ced frely rotatable smooth rollers engaging'lsaid?traveling: strand oncopposite 'sides thereofl means for .ur'gingzsaidrollers towardfieach other to fiatten' the strand, -'a=-s'mooth' hard-surfaced guide roll disposed closely adjacent to arid-spaced from=said cutter and anvil rolls, the spacing between said guide and anvil rolls being less than the thickness of the strand, said guide roll engaging one surface of the strand as the anvil roll engages the opposite surface of the strand to create a slight nip pressure on the strand as it passes between said anvil and guide rolls, the nip pressure created on the strand by said anvil and guide rolls being sufficiently slight to permit lengthwise slippage of the strand between said guide and anvil rolls as its rate of feed is retarded below the surface speed of said anvil and guide rolls, the nip being great enough to exert suflicient pressure on the strand to prevent sidewise movement of the strand endwise of said guide and anvil rolls under the influence of the helical lands of the rotating cutter roll, means for driving said guide roll at the same surface speed as said cutter and anvil rolls, and means for adjusting and controlling the rate of feed of the strand with respect to the surface speed of said cutter roll within a range of speed below the surface speed of said cutter roll to determine the maximum length of the cut staple fibers.

3. Apparatus for cutting a strand of textile fibers into staple fibers of a variety of lengths below a predetermined maximum length, comprising a rotatable smooth, hardsurfaced anvil roll, a rotatable cutter roll comprising a plurality of spaced helical lands having blunt ends with sharp edges adapted to form a nip with said anvil roll to sever fibers engaged therebetween, means for rotating said cutter roll and said anvil roll at the same surface speed, means for continuously feeding the strand toward the nip of said cutter and anvil rolls at a speed timed with and less than the surface speed of said cutter roll, a smooth hard-surfaced guide roll disposed closely adjacent to and spaced from said cutter and anvil rolls, the spacing between said guide and anvil rolls being less than the thickness of the strand, said guide roll engaging one surface of the strand as the anvil roll engages the opposite surface of the strand to create a slight nip pressure on the strand as it passes between said anvil and guide rolls, the nip pressure created on the strand by said anvil and guide rolls being sufficiently slight to permit lengthwise slippage of the strand between said guide and anvil rolls as its rate of feed is retarded below the surface speed of said anvil and guide rolls, the nip being great enough to exert suflicient pressure on the strand to prevent sidewise movement of the strand endwise of said guide and anvil rolls under the influence of the helical lands of the rotating cutter roll, means for driving said guide roll at the same surface speed as said cutter and anvil rolls, means for adjusting said strand feeding means for controlling the rate of feed of the strand with respect to the surface speed of said cutter roll, and means for continuously varying said controlled speed according to a predetermined pattern of variation in timed relation with the speed of said cutter roll.

4. Apparatus for cutting a strand of textile fibers into staple fibers of a variety of lengths below a predetermined maximum length, comprising a rotatable smooth, hardsurfaced anvil roll, a rotatable cutter roll comprising a plurality of spaced helical lands having blunt ends with sharp edges adapted to form a nip with said anvil roll to sever fibers engaged therebetween, means for rotating said cutter roll and said anvil roll at the same surface speed, means for varying the speed of said cutter and anvil rolls, means for continuously feeding the strand toward the nip of said cutter and anvil rolls at a speed timed with and less than the surface speed of said cutter roll, a pair of spaced, freely rotatable smooth rollers engaging the strand on opposite sides thereof, means for urging said rollers toward each other to flatten the strand, a smooth hard-surfaced guide roll disposed closely adjacent to and spaced from said cutter and anvil rolls, the spacing between said guide and anvil rolls being less than the thickness of the strand, said guide roll engaging one surface of the strand as the anvil roll engages the opposite surface of the strand to create a slight nip pressure on the strand as it passes between said anvil and guide rolls, the nip pressure created on the strand by said anvil and guide rolls being sufficiently slightly to permit lengthwise slippage of the strand between said guide and anvil rolls as its rate of feed is retarded below the surface speed of said anvil and guide rolls, the nip being great enough to exert sufficient pressure on the strand to prevent sidewise movement of the strand endwise of said guide and anvil rolls under the influence of the helical lands of the rotating cutter roll, means for driving said guide roll at the same surface speed as said cutter and anvil rolls, means for adjusting said strand feeding means for controlling the rate of feed of the strand with respect to the surface speed of said cutter roll, and means for continuously varying said controlled speed according to a predetermined pattern of variation in timed relation with the speed of said cutter roll.

5. Apparatus for cutting a strand of textile fibers into staple fibers of a variety of lengths below a predetermined maximum length, comprising a rotatable smooth, hardsurfaced anvil roll, a rotatable cutter roll comprising a plurality of spaced helical lands having blunt ends with sharp edges adapted to form a nip with said anvil roll to sever fibers engaged therebetween, means for rotating said cutter roll and said anvil roll at the same surface speed, means for varying the speed of said cutter and anvil rolls, means for continuously feeding the strand toward the nip of said cutter and anvil rolls at a speed timed with and less than the surface speed of said cutter roll, a smooth hard-surfaced guide roll disposed closely adjacent to and spaced from said cutter and anvil rolls, the spacing between said guide and anvil rolls being less than the thickness of the strand, said guide roll engaging one surface of the strand as the 'anvil roll engages the opposite surface of the strand to create a slight nip pressure on the strand as it passes between said anvil and guide rolls, the nip pressure created on the strand by said anvil and guide rolls being sufliciently slight to permit lengthwise slippage of the strand between said guide and anvil rolls as its rate of feed is retarded below the surface speed of said anvil and guide rolls, the nip being great enough to exert sufiicient pressure on the strand to prevent sidewise movement of the strand endwise of said guide and anvil rolls under the influence of the helical lands of the rotating cutter roll, means for adjusting said strand feed ing means for controlling the rate of feed of the strand with respect to the surface speed of said cutter roll, and means for continuously varying said controlled speed according to a predetermined pattern of variation in timed relation with the speed of said cutter roll.

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